Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto Warns of Online Gambling’s Threat to Economic and Social Stability at APEC Summit

At the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto urged world leaders to unite in combating illegal online gambling, describing it as a grave threat to both Indonesia’s economy and social fabric.

“Online gambling is a very serious issue,” Prabowo declared in his address to fellow leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. “We calculate that we lose around $8 billion (IDR133 trillion) every year solely due to outflows from online gambling.”

He emphasized the importance of international cooperation to tackle transnational crimes, calling on APEC member states to “join forces against illegal online gambling” and to work collectively against broader issues such as “illegal smuggling and corruption to narcotics.”

This year’s APEC summit, held under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow,” brought together leaders from 21 nations, including the United States, to discuss regional economic and social challenges.

Prabowo highlighted that the risks of online gambling go far beyond financial damage, pointing out its potential to destabilize communities. As reported by the Jakarta Globe, he stated that online gambling “poses more than a financial threat and can also undermine social stability.” The president called for “global solidarity” to enhance digital security and curb the rise of cybercrime and data theft.

“That is why we want to participate in advancing APEC’s capabilities in technology,” he continued. “We also aim to strengthen SMEs and improve healthcare systems to anticipate our demographic bonus.”

Indonesia has intensified its crackdown on online gambling, which remains illegal in the country. In August, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) ordered domestic banks to block nearly 26,000 accounts associated with gambling activities. The regulator also mandated that banks conduct enhanced due diligence, cross-referencing potential offenders with Indonesia’s national ID database to prevent further abuse of the financial system.

On Tuesday, Indonesia’s Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, acknowledged that “the prevention and eradication of online gambling is still not optimal.” Speaking at the Jakarta event titled Strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Committee in Preventing and Combatting Money Laundering Related to Online Gambling, Yusril urged lawmakers to focus on targeting the financial mechanisms that enable such crimes.

“Through this approach, the government can track, freeze and seize the proceeds of crime used to finance and expand online gambling operations,” he explained.

As reported by Antara News, Yusril also called on religious leaders to take a more active role in addressing the issue. “For the last five years, I have never heard any sermon about online gambling. The preachers always speak about hell but forget to speak about real issues faced by our people,” he said.

Meanwhile, a report by the Lancet Public Health Commission on Gambling revealed the global scale of harm caused by digital gambling. The report noted that online platforms “offer unparalleled capacities for gambling.” Louisa Degenhardt, a professor at the University of New South Wales: “We’re not talking about people playing a game with cards around the table anymore. Many people might be really experiencing harms from gambling — we think that it’s probably around 72 million people globally.”

Degenhardt added that the number is expected to rise, as “we are seeing the increase in commercial organisations targeting people to gamble more.”

A 2024 United Nations report also warned that Southeast Asia has become a hub for cybercrime, illegal online gambling, and so-called “scam farms.” It stated that “the sheer scale of proceeds” from the region’s illicit economy demonstrates the growing “professionalisation and innovation” of these enterprises, concluding that “transnational criminal groups in Southeast Asia have emerged as global market leaders.” 

By fLEXI tEAM